Love knitting baby blankets? They make a great gift.

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Your sister just announced her first pregnancy. What to get her? I love knitting baby blankets. You don’t have to know her ‘theme’ or color scheme for the baby’s room and you don’t even know if she’s expecting a boy or a girl! A perfect gift, in this case, is a handmade knitted baby blanket. The gift of a handmade blanket shows her that you took the time to make something special with her baby in mind. These types of baby gifts are appreciated and treasured for years (and babies) to come.

So many patterns and possibilities exist in the realm of knitting baby blankets. You can use a bright, eye-catching color (or colors), or you can go with traditional pastel yarns. You can knit a blanket that is traditionally more gender-specific: pink or blue. Or you can use variegated yarns or non-gender specific colors like green, yellow, lavender, or white. Textured single color blanket or multi-color simple stockinette stitch blanket. The choice is yours, the knitter.

By-the-way, knitting has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity in the last 20 years. A handcrafted gift is often passed down through generations. They take time, these handknit blankets, and require effort. Because of these reasons, your blanket will be one of the best gifts received and will be treasured.

If you decide this project is for you, there are a few important things you must consider as you search out your pattern and supplies.

Pattern

For instance, your pattern selection must be a tightly-woven fabric to avoid catching the baby’s fingers and toes in the blanket. An open-weave or lacy blanket can create a health and safety risk for a young baby.

Yarn

Your yarn should be soft and machine washable. Knitting a baby blanket with mohair or silk or some other exotic yarn that requires hand-washing or even dry cleaning would frustrate the new parents and waste your time. New parents tend to be sleep deprived as it is. The last thing they need to worry about is hand-washing a baby blanket before a stain sets in. Choose a soft, acrylic or superwash wool blend yarn like these from Bernat on Amazon.

Size

Sometimes baby blankets tend to be very small. If you want your blanket to be used for more than just a few months, don’t hesitate to make it larger than typical. However, a 48-inch square blanket is a good size for a new baby. Adjust your pattern or yarn to produce a blanket 4 feet square and it will be used, carried, and enjoyed for much longer than just a few months.

No Beads

Of course, there are safety concerns when you knit a baby blanket. Never add beads or other decorative items to a baby blanket. These items create safety hazards should they pull loose. Your blanket is meant to be a comfort to new parents and their baby, not a safety risk.

Remembering these few rules can save you money, time and trouble. Create something beautiful for a beloved baby. You’ll be proud you did!  Try it!  You will love knitting a baby blanket!  Knit a few baby blankets and before long you will love knitting like I do.

Happy Knitting
Anita